Brave New World
by Chair Meow
Summary: The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, will be no more when the others come. RB/MM and HH/OC
1. Chapter 1

XXX ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO LEGENDARY PICTURES AND WARNER BROTHERS XXX

It was unusually hot for an October afternoon in Hong Kong City. In full uniform, Marshall Hercules Hansen could feel the heat against his back and the gathering beads of sweat between his shoulder blades. He refused to move though, to seek shelter under the awning as most of his officers had done. He stood steps away from the helipad, eyes locked on the growing dark dot in the horizon.

The United Nations Secretary General William Maltin would be on that helicopter, undoubtedly bearing bad news.

"Sorry I'm late." There was some shuffling as Raleigh Becket came to halt beside him, hand tugging at his collar. "I was getting dressed."

"And that's the most appropriate thing you could manage to find?" Herc grumbled as he glanced sideways at the dirty overalls covered in oil and dust.

Raleigh's crooked grin was non-apologetic. "I was tilling rice paddies, Marshall. Feeding the populace and rebuilding our world. I'm sure the Secretary will forgive me."

It was hard not grin at that statement. What was left of their great war machines, Jaegers built for destroying Kaijus, had suddenly become nothing more than construction equipment at the end of the war. Raleigh and Mako Mori now spent their time helping the United Nations and their governments rebuilt their ravished nations.

Herc looked back at the approaching helicopter and frowned. "This doesn't bode well."

"Being Marshall has made you into a pessimist, Herc."

"Being Marshall has added more responsibility to my load."

Raleigh didn't reply, although he frowned. He wanted to say something, offer some kind of comfort but even that was beyond Herc's acceptance. He'd lost his son and his best friend in one fell swoop and two years later he still walked around holding a grudge against the world. His mood was always bad now, almost to the point even his dog didn't like him anymore.

"We are at peace, Herc. That should count for something," Raleigh finally said.

"It doesn't."

The helicopter hovered over them, and both took several steps back as it touched down. The crew ran forward, signaling each other, directing traffic around even as the doors opened and two people jumped off. One of them was William Maltin, a sixty year old man still in good shape although he'd gone gray early in his life. He'd come into his position as Secretary General after the portal between the worlds had been closed, promising to facilitate the rebuilding of their world. So far, he'd done good in his promise but these were changing times.

The other person though…

Although he'd been Marshall for two years now, and he and she moved in the same, very small circle, they'd exchanged not one word. They hadn't even exchanged nods. Even that was too much interaction between them, given their previous dealings. She seemed to understand that; coolly detached, haughtily distant, as if he and she had never been close—as if they hadn't mourned Chuck's death by acting as if each other didn't exist. She'd kept her distance so well that he'd forgotten she was the Secretary General's right hand woman.

Until now.

She was clothed in unrelieved black, dull and…on any other woman it would have looked somber. On her…even fully covered, the depressing hue did nothing to dim her vitality. It screamed in every line of her powerful form, a humming, thrumming energy, harnessed to some degree but forever in danger of escaping—exploding. That had been what attracted Chuck to her, that uncertainty of whether she'd burn the world with her temper or if she'd smile sweetly.

"Herc!" Maltin thrust his hand out, head still ducked as he avoided the wind of the helicopter. "Good to see you!"

"Secretary." Herc moved out his way and pointed towards the doors. "We're ready for you, sir."

He didn't wait to see if Amanda followed, but he could damn nearly smell her scent in the air. Bergamot and lemons.

The sound the helicopter faded as the doors of the elevator closed. Maltin had turned towards Raleigh, embracing the younger man like long lost friend. It was the kind of warm greeting a hero deserved. Whatever words they exchanged, Herc missed as his eyes met Amanda's.

Boldly-drawn features, strong and reminiscent of her Latin roots, a pair of ruby lips sculpted by fantastic genes, the lower lush and full and tempting. Large, almond-shaped eyes, their color a bold and unforgiving brown, set above high, chiseled cheekbones. Lush black lashes, a straight yet wide nose, all set in a heart shaped face. She'd spent some time in the sun recently, given the dark bronze tint of her skin.

Her features did not make for pretty, but the epitome of powerful woman. He doubted that even as a young girl she'd ever been overly girlish. She had a body built of muscle and sinew, a necessity when piloting a Jaeger and she'd never been shy about her strength. Chuck had been in awe of her body, of her vivid personality and her laughter. He'd lusted after and Herc could still remember how Chuck couldn't help share his desire for her through their mind meld.

Today, however, she expression was…nothing like the way either Chuck or Herc had ever seen her.

"Amanda." He nodded at her, not sure what else he could do.

"Marshall." She said nothing else and her gravity, perhaps, told him the news was even more dire than he had previously thought.

The elevator stopped and Herc lead the way out and towards his office. Raleigh and Maltin were still chatting; Amanda was still uncharacteristically quiet.

"I believe you two have already met," Maltin said looking between Amanda and Raleigh.

"Once, right after you were appointed Secretary General," Raleigh said as he shook Amanda's hand again.

They exchanged pleasantries as they made their way to Herc's office.

"I'm afraid I bring bad news," Maltin said immediately after the door clicked closed.

Well, that had been fast, Herc thought as he watched Malvin unbutton his suit jacket and sit down. Amanda seemed to amble around the room uncertainly, finally gravitating to a small shelf where he kept several pictures of Chuck. For a second he watched her almost reach for one, before dropping her hand and turning away. Instead, she walked back to the chair besides Maltin's and sank down gracefully, eyes trained on her boss.

"The General Assembly met yesterday," Maltin said as he crossed his legs. "The members wanted to discuss the progress we've made since the end of the war. It has demanded that the Security Council stop funneling money into the Jaeger program and to dedicate that money to the Food and Agriculture Organization along with all other specialized institutions dedicated to the rebuilding efforts."

There was moment of silence in the room before all hell broke loose. Raleigh was on his feet, his mouth working loudly. "We are helping rebuild! We've been doing everything we can to help—"

"Using a billion dollar robot as a crane or to till rice paddies isn't helping, Becket," Maltin cut him off. "We can use those funds somewhere else. The amount of workers we have working at this base alone can help rebuild Los Angeles, Anchorage, and San Diego! We need to get people back to normal—"

"Normal? What part of alien invasion is normal?" Raleigh growled.

"The Kaiju are gone, Raleigh. We need to demilitarize! The people need to eat! Go to school! Live a life that no longer calls for giant war machines! This is a time of peace, gentlemen, and we shall make the right adjustments whether you like it or not," Maltin said with a finality that rang through the room.

Herc hadn't moved as he watched Raleigh and Maltin engage. He was fixated on the words he'd heard, remembering a time not too long ago when he'd heard them from another U.N. member. Except that last time, Stacker Pentecost had been there to defy their orders and had saved them all by keeping the Jaeger program alive. Stacker had known what to do and he had died for what he believed, but they had been at war then. Maybe Maltin was right and they needed to focus on something other than their past.

"The people are demanding a change from us, Herc, and as their representatives, we must deliver," Maltin explained. "It's past time we set our old ways aside and move on."

"How long do we have?" He finally asked when even Raleigh seemed to accept that nothing could change the U.N.'s decision.

"Six months," Maltin answered. "You are to decommission of the Jaegers, what ever pieces and parts you have left, and return it to its country of origin to be used as deemed appropriate by its government. The personnel on this base will be reassigned or offered an honorable military discharged, we shall leave the choice to them. It is the sincere hope of the Security Council and the General Assembly that they will choose to put their talents towards rebuilding our world."

It sounded like a well-rehearsed speech, some kind of inspiring call for help. Perhaps it would work on others, yet he remained untouched. He'd lost enough to know he couldn't rebuild with hard work. A son, a best friend, a home, his friends…

"Amanda will stay to oversee the process and report back to the Assembly and the Council at the end of the six month period."

That jerked him out of his thoughts. "Is that necessary?"

He caught her sudden sharp look his way, but she did not utter a word.

"Perhaps not, but she was chosen by both principal organs and she will remain here," Maltin said as he stood and buttoned his jacket. "Please, excuse me. It's been a long day and I would like to rest before I address your people."

Amanda did not move as Maltin walked to the door. He paused for just one moment looking back at Herc and Raleigh. "Don't you want something more than death and destruction in your life? You've both been in this life long enough. Isn't it time to stop?"

He walked out before either could respond.

Raleigh took the seat Maltin just vacated and rubbed his face before looking at Amanda. "What's your opinion?"

"I'm not paid to have an opinion, Mr. Becket."

"But you must have one!" Raleigh damn near shouted.

Amanda's eyes flashed with something Herc recognized, her nasty temper. She didn't like being yelled at. She didn't like being questioned nor bossed around. It was probably taking all of her self-control not to argue back. "I know we are not alone out here in this universe. I think you sent a very loud and clear message, Raleigh Becket, when you took out the Kaiju. I think it's only a matter of time before others come after us for whatever we have left. And I think when they do, now or centuries from now, we won't be ready. That's my opinion and it counts for nothing." She stood up too. "Keep mind, neither does yours."

Herc closed his eyes tight just before Raleigh's temper exploded.


	2. Chapter 2

XXX ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO LEGENDARY PICTURES AND WARNER BROTHERS XXX

x

x

Amanda Dearne had come to the conclusion that she was far too young to feel like such an old woman. Her body ached, her mind was scattered and each day that passed she felt more and more reluctant to do the job she was sent here to do. It was as if the last week had taken a toll of her strength and her sense of self that made her twenty-six years of life feel like ninety. And it wasn't just her job. When she'd been called in, she hadn't thought William would base her in Hong Kong City under the same roof as Hercules Hansen. That ate at her day and night until she'd given up attempting to sleep and had taken up drinking in the bowels of the city instead.

She wasn't even sure where the hell she was except that the sake was good and the food wasn't bad either. The streets were busy even at this hour and everywhere she'd looked there were signs of a new world being built, a world without Kaiju or fear of destruction. For a few minutes she'd even manage to forget she was entirely against everything that William preached and what she was in charge of.

It even made her forget about another time she'd been here, so long ago. Back when Chuck had been alive and they'd snuck away to drink themselves silly when his father nor Stacker were there to stop them. Two young fools who thought they had the world at their feet. Back then, Chuck had been drowning in fame and glory and she hadn't yet been disappointed by loving a man who thought she was nothing more than a child. Even that, though, made her miss the old days.

Under the table there was grunt and groan before Max's wide, wrinkled head poked up next to her knees. He pushed the chair next to her away with his body, whining until she let him jump up on it. She reached to scratch behind his ear, making those ridiculous cooing sounds that he seemed to love.

"Does Herc know you stole his dog?"

Amanda sighed as she pulled away from Max. So much for peace and quiet. "If he hasn't noticed I took his dog away days ago, he doesn't deserve him," she told Raleigh as he came around the table to stand by an empty seat.

"Well, maybe Max needed some time away from him too," he mumbled. "May I?"

Everything in her wanted to tell him to take a hike. She neither wanted nor needed his company. "Go ahead." The words came out between gritted teeth.

"We got off on the wrong foot this time, Amanda."

She didn't bother with the choko and drank straight from the tokkuri. She could already tell this conversation was going to add to her problems. "Did we? I thought we were of like minds, except I'm realistic and you're not."

Raleigh chuckled dryly. "That's true."

"So what do you want? Some advice on what to do with your life once you leave this place?"

Not that she had any to give. More than any other person still alive, all she'd ever known had been the Jaeger program.

"Do _you_ know what you're going to do?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm going to retire."

He laughed in her face. "You're younger than I am and you're going to retire?"

"How old are you, Raleigh?" She asked as she leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table and studying him closely. He was a good-looking man, strikingly so. She could see why the quiet and sweet Mako Mori was in love with him.

"Twenty-nine."

"Right." Amanda grinned predatorily. "Do you remember a time before the Kaiju?"

"I was fifteen when portal opened."

"And you were recruited when you were into the program when? Early twenties?"

"Nineteen."

"Assigned to the Gypsy Danger at twenty one?" She took another swig.

"Yes."

"Five confirmed kills."

Raleigh only nodded.

"Single-handedly piloted a Mark 3 after killing Knifehead. Saved humankind by closing the portal between worlds."

"You know all the facts."

Amanda nodded. "Of course I do, Raleigh. But that's not the point. I'm asking you if after all this time, don't you want to rest too?"

His jaw locked in place, muscles twitching angrily. "Is that all?"

She shook her head. "I get it, you know. For you it must be different than for the members of the Council or the Assembly. They haven't witnessed first hand what a Kaiju can do. They didn't watch from the core of a Jaeger as those creatures tore apart cities as if they were sandcastles. To them the lives lost are numbers, rather than people eaten or stepped on or starved to death under rubble. They think rebuilding those shiny towers is the only way to move forward but you…you are different."

She knew this because she'd spent too much of her time thinking about it too.

"And what is it like for you, Amanda?" He finally asked.

Maybe her heart stopped beating for a whole minute or maybe her body was finally registering the effects of the alcohol. Either way she could hear a roaring in her ears and she sat back, one hand reaching for Max's comforting presence.

"I remember the controversy you caused when you entered the program." He eyed her closely. "Thirteen years old. The people picketed Congress and worried that their children would be next. Mothers cried, fathers raged and every helpless little kid wished that they had been the chosen one."

"I'm sure that once they realized it wasn't all about the glory, they would have had a different opinion," she replied quietly, refusing to let him see her sudden anger.

"Probably, but back then everyone wanted to be a hero."

"Everyone wanted to survive."

"I spent three years fighting the Kaijus. Three years compared to what, Amanda?"

Her voice nearly failed her. She'd been trained since thirteen but she'd only been allowed to pilot a Jaeger at fifteen. She had survived the longest inside of a war machine. "Eight years. I fought inside of a Jaeger for eight years."

"It must be hard for you to roll out of bed every morning and not have to worry about monsters at your door. It must be hard to hear loud noises and not run to the nearest hanger and get suited up. You've now spent half of your lifetime dedicated to war. It must be hard for you to think that for the rest of your life, however long that may be, you'll never again be inside of your _Mesa Rock._ Or any other Jaeger ever again."

Their eyes met and held. She realized that for everything correct thing she'd said to him, he'd said something equally true to her.

"Maybe that's the reason why we can't accept William's plan," she said, breaking the silence between them. "Maybe we are too damn stupid and we want to keep on being those heroes everyone loves."

"Or maybe we know that outer space is an infinite thing and it's only a matter of time before the others out there come for us. Maybe we know we're still needed and that's why it's hard to us to accept what we are told."

That was a great deal of maybes.

"Maybe everyone else _wants _to move on and we should let them. It's been two years, Raleigh, of waking up to a safe world. Maybe we're both wrong."

"We're not." He shook his head vigorously. "We're not wrong. It would be a ridiculous mistake if we shut down the program only to find ourselves under siege again."

She looked down at her sake again, because even though he had a point, Raleigh seemed to forget that her partner was still dead and buried and that there wasn't a single operational Jaeger left. "Do you know that average life expectancy of a pilot in the program?"

He frowned at her. "Two years."

Amanda nodded. "I'm above average already. If the program was re-instated and I did find a partner and there was a threat and I was allowed to fight, I think I would be pushing my luck a bit too far. It's time for us to back down, Raleigh, even if we think it's the wrong thing to do. I may not like my job, but I still have to do it. I will close down this base as I was told and I will see you re-stationed or discharged. Your choice."

He sat back too, his arms crossed over his chest. "Are those my only options?"

Amanda offered him the bottle of sake. "I'm afraid so."

Raleigh sighed before he picked it up and drank from it. "And if they come back?"

"Hopefully, we'll be old and gray and it'll be someone else's problem." She shrugged. "Or we could always move inland. I thought about being a rancher once."

"And instead you ended up being a Ranger."

She laughed at that. "Yeah, I did."

Raleigh rubbed his face and she recognized that motion as something he reverted to when exasperated. "I wouldn't even know what to do with myself out in civilian world. I can't go back to construction. That's not me."

"Fishing. You should try fishing. That's as close to Kaiju hunting you'll probably get," she told him.

A heartbeat passed and then two. And suddenly they were both laughing so hard that tears rolled down their faces and she was bent over gasping for air. The thought of catching trout and comparing that to tons of massive alien monster was just enough to push her over the edge.

"Maybe Mako would like that. Me a fisherman for the rest of my life," Raleigh chuckled as he sobered up. "Maybe I can convince Herc to join me instead of going back to Australia."

"Or maybe you can tell me what the hell you're doing out here with my damn dog!" Came a booming shout announcing that now, once and for all, Amanda would have to look Hercules Hansen in the eye after so studiously avoiding him for two long, hard years.

"I thought I would perhaps take him out for a night in the town. Let him experience the sounds and smells. What else could I do for such a dear, old friend?" Amanda asked as she petted Max. He tried to shuffle closer to her.

For a moment Herc didn't answer and Amanda prayed in vain that he would just turn and walk away except that Raleigh's eyes had gone wide. Herc was probably turning red in the face and doing that expression of utter rage he was so good at.

"I should have known you wouldn't be able to walk the line," he said quietly and her stomach cramped at the sound of his disappointment. Right up until she remembered she no longer craved it.

"I didn't even know there was a line," she said as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

Thank God, he wasn't wearing his uniform. She had enough of a hard time concentrating on him in just civilian clothes that she didn't need the extra visual. And the man looked pissed. His blue eyes were spitting fire at her. "Maltin has been trying to get ahold of you for the last hour. He's woken up half of my personnel and you were nowhere to be found. Get back to the base, Amanda."

Raleigh made an awkward noise in the back of his throat, which Amanda interpreted as an affront against Herc's tone. She smiled at him. "Don't worry, he's been trying to scare me with that tone since I was sixteen years old. It has no effect on me."

"Should I leave?"

"Probably. Next thing you know, he's going to threaten to throw me over his shoulder and take me back himself. You might not want to be here for that," she informed him.

"Amanda…" Came that low growl and she smiled wide at Raleigh.

He got up, glanced at Herc before shrugging and walking off into the crowd. She turned in her chair again, to face Herc with a smile she knew he would hate. "You could have called my phone, you know. Or sent one of your underlings to find me. Or you could have waited until the morning, where you would have found me in the mass hall surrounded by other people and where you would have been perfectly safe. But instead you came all the way out here just to tell me Maltin wants to speak to me."

Hercules set his teeth and tried his best to look menacing. "And to get my dog."

Her smile widened. He seemed to freeze as she raked him with a look. "It's past your bed time, isn't it? Do you need me to take you back home and tuck you in, Hercules?"

"Stop."

"Still running, Hercules?"

He didn't answer her, just turned on his heels and walked away, which Amanda took as an 'yes'.

x

x


	3. Chapter 3

XXX ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO LEGENDARY PICTURES AND WARNER BROTHERS XXX

Mako had met Amanda when they had both been kids. They had both liked puzzles, frowned upon anything served in a paper plate, and enjoyed the company of machines to people.

Amanda had had a personality bigger than life, even at nine years old. It was a quality her parents and the military had nurtured in her. She'd easily overshadowed her partner, who'd been fifteen years her senior, with her talent, with the ease in which she entered a Jaeger and slipped into the drift. There had always been something about her natural gift with the machines had made her an invaluable asset to them.

Mako had wanted to be like her, and probably would have been, if Stacker hadn't been so against training her from an early age.

Now…

Now it was hard to believe that the Kaiju killer with the explosive temper and inappropriate comments had become a pencil pusher.

"What's this?" Amanda asked as she looked up from a thick file on her borrowed desk.

"The report you asked for. The inventory list of tools from Sector 2."

Mako watched Amanda rub her face, her hands seeming to shake before she closed the file and pushed it to a corner of her desk. "Thank you."

"I'll have the rest of the Sectors done in the coming weeks. We are waiting on your orders as to where we should send the inventory," Mako told her. "Is there anything else, ma'am?"

"No, thank you, Mako." Her voice was soft and low, the voice of someone who hadn't slept in days.

"Ma'am." Mako spun on her heels and left the office as quietly as she had come. Just before the lock feel into place, she was certain she heard some of the foul vocabulary Amanda was known for.

Even for a fleeing moment that brought a smile to her face.

She stuffed her hands into her pockets and started the walk back to her office. After the Gipsy Danger had been destroyed, she'd been assigned to desk duty helping to oversee the running of the base. With Amanda here, she was now in charge of cataloguing all the equipment found on base and preparing it to be sent to other active military bases. It was a thankless job…boring.

Ever since Amanda's arrival everywhere she looked there was some sort of deconstruction going on. Boxes and crates being shipped off, personnel discharged, silence starting to echo through hallways. Soon enough she and Raleigh would have to submit their papers to Amanda or risk her choosing where to send them herself. Not that she would be unfair, there had been a considerable amount of officers being sent to the Hawaiian Islands recently.

Perhaps Raleigh would like that, somewhere relatively quiet, on the ocean, with old friends.

"Hey! Mako! I've been looking everywhere for you."

Down the hall, Raleigh came running while being followed by an overfed Max. They both stopped short of her, Raleigh with a smile and Max with a grunt before he just laid down and puffed uncontrollably.

They didn't touch, it would have been against regulations, but the smile they gave one another was telling. Two years they'd been together…two years she'd been happy.

"Where've you been?" They turned towards her office together, their fingers brushing as their arms swung in synch. Max whined, grunted, but got up to follow.

"Submitting my report to Miss Dearne."

"I was gonna stop by and check in on her but then I saw Herc standing outside her office and thought better," Raleigh whispered. He leaned in a little closer. "Is there something I should know?"

Mako nearly laughed at him. Raleigh had the same subtlety of a charging Kaiju.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "She walks into a room, he runs out. He tells her to do something, she does the opposite. It's like playing Battleship with two people who like to move the pieces mid-game."

"They are both strong willed individuals. It was optimistic of Maltin to assign them both to this base, but highly unrealistic."

"And why is that?"

"Because…" she paused just outside of her office door, one hand on the handle and a grin on her face. Raleigh was closer than ever, ready to hear her answer. "It's none of our business."

For a fraction of a second, this entire face lit up like Christmas morning. Right until he realized he'd gotten nothing out of her. "Are you kidding-"

She laughed as she stepped in to her office, hoping that he'd go do his own job so she could finish hers. "Leave it alone, Raleigh."

"I can't," he nearly whined as he followed her into her office and closed the door behind him. She didn't remark on the fact that he locked it too. "Have you seen them together? It's bad enough that we're under siege from the UN without having to worry about two nuclear bombs going off on each other during breakfast."

Mako grinned as she sat down. "It's true that they have some…issues."

"Issues? Is that what we call sexual chemistry these days?" He quipped.

He obviously wasn't going to let it go.

"I don't think it's sexual chemistry," she finally admitted. "I think they don't know how to be friends now that Chuck is gone."

Raleigh took a seat, putting his feet up on her desk. "She and Chuck were a thing?"

"She and Hansen were close. They were young, crossed paths often at different bases. Chuck was…difficult, but Amanda always gave as good as she got. And I think he was a little enamored by her utter skill that he forgot to treat her the way he treated everyone else."

She remembered the few occasions when she'd seen Chuck and Amanda together, standing off to a corner while their much older partners talked. They'd been of like minds, aggressive and loud but always loyal to their cause. Chuck had able to diffuse her temper like even her partner couldn't and Amanda in turn had done the same for him.

When her partner had died, when there hadn't been a single match for her, Chuck had been the only one able to console her long enough to get Amanda to give up her attempt to pilot Mesa Rock on her own. Mako remembered to this day the havoc Amanda had caused, the way her anger had made the world rattle far worse than any damage done by a Kaiju.

"It's a touching tale, Mako, but I don't think that's it." Raleigh crossed his arms and sighed. "Usually when you lose a loved one, you cling to the people who remind of them."

"She's not a very usual woman."

"No, but she's still human."

He had a point there. Still, Mako just shrugged and let him think what he would. Instead, she turned the subject towards something they could afford to focus. "Have you filled out your transfer papers?"

Raleigh grinned. "No. Have you?"

"I thought we have decided that you would pick and I would follow."

"If it were up to me, we wouldn't go anywhere."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. This is what Raleigh must have been like as a child. "I'm sure it can be arranged if you don't mind living the rest of your life in an abandoned military base."

Raleigh sighed. "Alright. I'll look into it soon, but I want you to remember what I said."

"And what was that?" She was already switching her attention over to the other various tasks at hand.

"There's something going on between those two."

"Yes, mutual distrust and the ghost of a loved one."

With a snort, Raleigh left before his girlfriend could further make him question his instincts. He'd seen the way Dearne and Herc looked at each other, measuring each other. He wanted to know why.

X

X

It's a work in progress...


End file.
